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From the Benton County News Tribune, 17 November 1999
Some
Questions and Answers About Flu
SOME TRIVIA
Federalist party was
the first U.S. political party, founded in 1790 by Alexander
Hamilton and John Adams. Around the same time, Thomas Jefferson
built a rival organization that became known as the Republican or
Democratic-Republican Party.
New York City was
named the capital of the United States in 1788 and remained so
until 1800 when Washington, D.C. was so named.
What duties does the
Constitution assign to the vice president? To be president of the
Senate; to cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate when needed;
and to replace the president of the U.S. in the event that the
latter's term ends prematurely.
Armored knights raised
their visors to identify themselves when they rode past their
king. This custom has become the modern military salute.Canada
declared national beauty contests canceled as of 1992, claiming
they were degrading to women.
The first known case
of wiretapping in American politics occurred at the Republican
convention in Chicago in 1912, when opponents of Teddy Roosevelt
tapped the phones he used to communicate with his managers. When
Roosevelt learned of it, he left his home in Oyster Bay, New York,
and came to Chcago to talk to his managers without benefit of
phone.
Christmas became a
national holiday in the US in 1890.
What presidential
candidate carried the most states in a general election? Richard
Nixon in 1972 and Ronald Reagan in 1984 are tied for the honor,
with 49 states each.
Former President
Cleveland defeated incumbent Benjamin Harrison in 1892, becoming
the first (and, to date, only) chief executive to win non-consecutive
terms to the White House.
Where did the "Know
Nothings" get their name? The secretive, anti-Catholic, and
antiforeign movement, which flourished in the 1850s, received its
name because members, which questioned by outsiders, answered,
"I know nothing." They pursued their aims through
electoral politics, violence, and intimidation. Also known as the
Order of the Star-Spangled Banner and the American Party, the
movement had adherents in Boston, New York, Baltimore, St. Louis,
and elsewhere.
In the Holocaust
between 5.1 and 6 million of Europe's 10 million Jews were killed.
An additional 6 million 'unwanted' people were also executed,
including more than half of Poland's educated populace. Members
of the Nazi SS had their blood type tattooed on their armpits.
Only two people signed
the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and
Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the
last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
The 1st US federal
legislation prohibiting narcotics (opium) was enacted in 1909.
The 1st US Minimum
Wage Law was instituted in 1938. The minimum wage was 25 cents
per hour.
The dollar was
established as the official currency of the US in 1785. The first
coin minted in the United States was a silver dollar. It was
issued on October 15, 1794.
The first US Marines
wore high leather collars to protect their necks from sabres,
hence the name "leathernecks."
The only repealed
amendment to the US Constitution deals with the prohibition of
alcohol.
The Republic of Israel
was established April 23, 1948.
The Union ironclad,
Monitor, was the first U.S. ship to have a flush toilet.
The White House, in
Washington DC, was originally gray, the color of the sandstone it
was built out of. After the War of 1812, during which it had been
burned by Canadian troops, the outside walls were painted white
to hide the smoke stains.
Vermont, admitted as
the 14th state in 1791, was the 1st addition to the original 13
colonies. Wyoming was the first state to allow women to vote.
The battle of Bunker Hill took place not on
Bunker Hill but on Breed's Hill, on June 17, 1775. The opposing
forces were supposed to engage on Bunker Hill, but for unknown
reasons the soldiers dug in on the smaller sight, about 2,000
feet away. To straighten things out for visitors, Breed's Hill
was later renamed Bunker Hill.
How many countries did
the British fight during the American War of Independence? By
1780, the British were fighting not only to the United
States and its ally France, but also Spain, the Netherlands, and
the ruler of Mysore in India. The conflicts were not all related
to American independence, but they did keep the British busy on
many fronts, aiding the U.S. cause.
The American diplomats who negotiated the treaty
that ended the Revolutionary War were Benjamin Franklin, John
Adams, and John Jay negotiated for the United States. The Treaty
of Paris, ending the war and recognizing American independence,
was signed on February 3, 1783.
In Christian theology
there are nine choirs of angels. From highest to lowest, they are:
seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominions, virtues, powers,
principalities, archangels, and angels. The seven archangels are
Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Chamuel, Jophiel, and Zadkiel.
The Bible was written
by about 40 men over a period of about 1600 years dating from
1500 BC to about 100 years after Christ.
The Four Horsemen of
the Apocalypse, named in the Bible's Book of Revelation, are
Conquest, Slaughter, Famine, and Death.
The Seven Deadly Sins
are lust, pride, anger, envy, sloth, greed and gluttony. The
seven virtues are prudence, courage, temperance, justice, faith,
hope and charity.
The two robbers
crucified next to Jesus were named Dismas and Gestas.
The Hindu holy day
begins at sunrise, the Jewish holy day begins at sunset, and the
Christian holy day begins at midnight.
20 Facts about Israel
20 Facts about the 100th smallest country, with less than 1/1000th of the world's population.
1. Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the U.S., over 70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany. With over 25% of its work force employed in technical professions. Israel places first in this category as well.
2. Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world.
3. Israel has the highest per capita ratio of scientific publications in the world by a large margin, as well as one of the highest per capita rates of patents filed.
4. In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world. In absolute terms, Israel has the largest number of startup companies than any other country in the world, except the US (3,500 companies mostly in hi-tech).
5. Israel is ranked #2 in the world for VC funds right behind the US.
6. Israel has the highest percentage in the world of home computers per capita.
7. Outside the United States and Canada, Israel has the largest number of NASDAQ listed companies.
8. Israel has the highest average living standards in the Middle East. The per capita income in 2000 is over $17,500, exceeding that of the UK.
9. With more than 3,000 high-tech companies and start-ups, Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world (apart from the Silicon Valley).
10. With an aerial arsenal of over 250 F-16s, Israel has the largest fleet of the aircraft outside of the US.
11. Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined.
12. The cell phone was developed in Israel by Motorola-Israel. Motorola built its largest development center worldwide in Israel.
13. Windows NT software was developed by Microsoft-Israel.
14. The Pentium MMX Chip technology was designed in Israel at Intel.
15. Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.
16. AOL's instant message program was designed by an Israeli software company.
17. Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the US in Israel.
18. On a per capita basis, Israel has the largest number of biotech start-ups.
19. Israel has the largest raptor migration in the world, with hundreds of thousands of African birds of prey crossing as they fan out into Asia.
20. Twenty-four percent of Israel's workforce holds university degrees -- ranking third in the industrialized world, after the United States and Holland -- and 12 percent hold advanced degrees.
21. The Koran (or Quran), consists of 6,666 verses
22. 90% Of all the conflicts in the world today involve Moslems fighting non-Moslems or each other.
